Bulandshahr: The ease of killing a policeman in Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh

Bulandshahr was just waiting to happen. In the past four years we have promoted a culture of intimidation and violence, prioritising the mob and its demands over the rule of law and its guardians

A warning shot has been fired. The bullet that killed inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr carries a chilling message for every policeman and policewoman across the nation: don’t mess with the Hindutva warrior, he is armed with a gun. And this is New India, where impunity has already been granted to one and all for killing any Muslim in the name of protecting the cow. Now, an entitlement is being claimed for meting out mob justice in defence of the cow.

The warning is unmistakable: police officers who dare to stand up to the lumpen ‘gau raksha’ mobs and